[Roadsters] Help, I'm snapping off bolt heads!

[Keith0alan at aol.com]

One of my favorite rust penetrants is a half and half mix of acetone  and 
ATF. Works well and is cheap to boot. I read about some testing a while back  
where it beat all the high priced stuff. Before removing any body hardware I  
soak them with it and let it sit for a bit. If you can get to both sides even  
better. Once the fastener starts turning shoot a little more on the threads. If  
it turns tight you can spray a little on then turn it back in then back it 
out  again. This works the stuff into the threads. For ones that are really 
tight  warm them with a propane torch then spray. This helps to draw it in. 
 
The ones on the bottom of the fender near the door are often buggers. Water  
tends to get inside the panel and rust the captive nuts and bolt threads. To 
get  the broken ones out, start by soaking them in the rust penetrant and heat 
with  the propane torch. With any luck there will be a little stub left that 
you can  get hold of with a pair of locking pliers and turn them out. Another 
trick is to  weld a nut to the stub so you have something to get a hold of. 
Also, you can  center drill the broken bolt. Sometimes they till turn and just 
run through the  captive nut and fall inside the body panel. I haven't had any 
luck with easy  outs. With some I start with a small drill and go up step at a 
time. With care  you can remove the bolt and leave the threads in the captive 
nut. Then you run a  tap through the hole to clean up the threads. 
 
Once you do get it out stainless hardware with anti-seize or grease on the  
threads will make things easier next time. 
 
keith
 
 
In a message dated 7/25/2008 10:48:09 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time,  
cookefam314 at yahoo.com writes:

While  removing the left front frender, I easily sheared off both bolt  heads
holding the bottom of the fender near the door. It looks like I still  need to
remove the doors to get to the remaining bolts holding on the  fender. So,
before I break every bolt on this old car, can someone  recommend the proper
way to remove old bolts? The bolts don't look rusted,  but since they haven't
ever been removed, I fear I'll break off the next  ten I touch with my rachet.
Also, what's the best process to remove the two  broken bolts I now have?

Dave Cooke
69 1600
Lake In The Hills,  IL
You are subscribed as  keith0alan at aol.com

Datsun-roadsters mailing  list

http://www.team.net/archive

http://autox.team.net/mailman/listinfo/datsun-roadsters





**************Get fantasy football with free live scoring. Sign up for 
FanHouse Fantasy Football today.      
(http://www.fanhouse.com/fantasyaffair?ncid=aolspr00050000000020)